Much love goes out to all who support us!
I'd personally like to give a big thanks to all of those out there, pouring love across the nation, whether ir's for the church,
or just for drug reform, or church rights. It's such an amazing ourpouring that when I read comments I tear up a little.
It is so amazing that people who have never been to the church or even heard of it for that matter stand so tall against what we went through.
This is just a small fraction of comments, there are many more on youtube, and message boards across the internet.

THANK YOU - Lisa

Dear the loving persons of the CULM,

Good evening ladies and gents. I hope everyone is OK. I was standing (groovin) at the stage when the police officers arrived on saturday evening. I was in complete awe over how they were approaching. Countless people were asking to see a warrant and as far as i know, noone was abliged. Not only were the police officers clearly being unreasonable and forceful, but highly disrespectful to the parents of missing children not being allowed to leave the stage to find their children. One officer was even scolded by a superior officer because he was not doing his job properly. I truly think this is a clear cut example of profiling (certainly not stylin and profilin). Just because theres music and camping does not give them the right. If the so-called "undercover officers went to ANY festival or concert, they would most likely be offered some kind of drug(s). Our tax dollars and their efforts should be more focused in on the murderers, rapists, and evil criminals in our society, not the peaceful, easy going church members and music fans of all cultures.. I think our privacy and property was unrightfully taken advantage of, and i would do anything to help you guys out in recieving some kind of justice for such a hellish and unnecessary "raid" on a CHURCH!! Good luck all and Email me if i can lend a hand in anything, my girlfriend and friends stand behind me and all of us.
Thanks guys, good luck, and PEACE!!
-Zack S.

Hello,

I just figured I would drop you a line and let you know that there are many of us out here in America that are outraged at what happened to you and your fellow churchgoers, I'm a Ron Paul Libertarian and we tend to keep an eye on these kinds of civil rights abuses. Although I'm sure you know it, you're not alone. For what its worth, I'm hoping your fight against the local government in PA will be a wakeup call to people about the level we as a society have shrunk too in our inane and illegal pursuit of The War on Drugs.

Anyway, I will not offer a prayer, as I'm a Deist and not a Christian, but I will say that I hope Divine Providence shines upon you and your church.

Sincerely,

David Farris

Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting for what to have for dinner. Liberty is a well armed sheep contesting the vote.

I'd like to drop a line and give some appreciation to the Church. I have been coming to the church for years. Back when Grinning Mob played the Rowdy Buck every Wednesday, we would often camp at the church after. The nice people and great camping will always be remembered.

I am a clean cut, educated, wealthy and contributing member of society. I have been free of legal trouble and have held a well paying job since college. In my experiences at the Church, the majority of folks are even more upstanding. Many might be unorthodox, but I wouldn't worry about my children being there.

That said, I was disappointed to hear about the events that transpired with the drug task force. This is obviously politically motivated by the Fayette County DA. The Church should be very disappointed with this woman, but also the tax payers in the county. The behavior of the DA office was counterproductive. They deployed this task force in an attempt to force the CULM into closing down. Instead of regularly making controlled buys off of the few bad apples that attend the church, they went for the whole apple tree. They could have generated income at every festival the Church had for the rest of time. Instead, the ego driven revenge from the DA office went and blew the whole load. A little bit of luck, some problems with the warrant and a class action lawsuit are sure to backfire. The tax payers of Fayette should vote all of those involved out of office for failing to remember "less is more."

I wish you folks the best of luck, I hope this makes you stronger!

Ren Smolski
-Pittsburgh

PS: The task force could of found this much contraband at a local Pittsburgh bar. Their inflatted statisitics about the items confinscated are laughable. Did they weigh the entire trailer?

I feel it is a very distasteful crime that Nancy Vernon would jeopardize and harm innocent and loving people just for political gain. First does Fayette County really want to elect a Judge that LIES? She usurps the values of honest and God loving peoples, of all walks of life. Nancy uses dishonesty and irrationality to hide her politics of HATE. Next time I'm sure that instead of AR-15 Assault riffles she would get herself a more thorough weapon such as a nuclear bomb to get the job done without witness. Fundamentalist and extremist are nothing more then evil.

I ask the people of Fayette County: "Do you want a dishonest Judge in your county?"

First she stated there were many pounds of Mushrooms and Tons of Marijuana. Nancy where is all of this? Was it not more like 3 OZ of pot and 1 pound of mushrooms and 5 hits of LSD, and that was it.

Where is the money your officers stole, over 15k to the best that we can figure out. This raid was nothing more then an ARMED ROBBERY. Where is the trailers of clothing, water, and beer that your officers stole?

That was your paraphernalia? 90% of the pipes were clean and legal, Nancy when will you return the stolen property?

You purposely deceived the media to make CULM out to be monsters when you know if this raid went down at the Pittsburgh arts festival there would have been 100 times, or more, illegal drugs found. What do think CULM can do to keep all the drugs out when you can not even keep them out of your little Fayette County Jail, or the rest of your court house. WE are as clean as it gets and your terrorist lies will not work nor will your terrorist attack of fear and violence. I feel you and your task force is a threat to national security, so get ready for your hard look at reality. You do realize you committed political suicide. The final war has already has begun, and for every ones knowledge it is a was between value producers and value creators vs Value destroyers.

WW

I was at the Church of Love and Music when it was raided on Saturday and have been following the coverage ever since. A few things I need to point out. DA Vernon's statement about police only carrying their regular issue sidearms and no assault rifles is false. Once you’ve had an M -16 pointed at your head you don’t forget it.

I have sent pictures to the paper yesterday of gun totting police at the Church but have yet to see them published.
Her statement that no guns were pointed at Children was false also. I know least 15 people who will sign depositions to the fact. It happened right in front of us.

Machine gun carrying police stopping a show, taking the gate receipts, and harassing people is something that has happened to members of the 420 Funk Mob before. In SANTIAGO CHILE. We never thought this could happen in the United States. All of Pennsylvania should be ashamed of the conduct of the Fayette County District Attorney’s office and it’s police officers.
I need to know, when did Pennsylvania become a Banana Republic?

Chuck

We took this comment about our raid article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by Joe Reinartz

BillHarris wrote:

04:49 AM, Aug 05, 2009

Debaters debate the two wars as if Nixon’s civil war on Woodstock Nation didn’t yet run amok. One need not travel to China to find indigenous cultures lacking human rights or to Cuba for political prisoners. America leads the world in percentile behind bars, thanks to ongoing persecution of hippies, radicals, and non-whites under banner of the war on drugs. If we are all about spreading liberty abroad, then why mix the message at home? Peace on the home front would enhance credibility.
The drug czar’s Rx for prison fodder costs dearly, as lives are flushed down expensive tubes. My shaman’s second opinion is that psychoactive plants are God’s gift. In God’s eyes, it’s all good (Gen.1:12). The administration claims it wants to reduce demand for cartel product, but extraditing Canadian seed vendor Marc Emery increases demand. Mr. Emery enables American farmers to steal cartel customers with better product at lower price.
The constitutionality of the CSA (Controlled Substances Act of 1970) is derived from an interstate commerce clause. This clause is invoked to authorize funding organized crime, endangering homeland security, and throwing good money after bad. Official policy is to eradicate, not tax, the number-one cash crop in the land. America rejected prohibition, but it’s back. Apparently, SWAT teams don’t need no stinking amendment.
Nixon promised the Schafer Commission would support the criminalization of his enemies, but it didn’t. No matter, the witch-hunt was on. No amendments can assure due process under an anti-science law without due process itself. Psychology hailed the breakthrough potential of LSD, until the CSA halted all research. Marijuana has no medical use, period.
The RFRA (Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993) allows Native American Church members to eat peyote, which functions like LSD. A specific church membership should not be prerequisite for Americans to obtain their birthright freedom of religion. Denial of entheogen sacrament to any American, for mediation of communion with his or her maker, precludes the free exercise of religious liberty.
Freedom of speech presupposes freedom of thought. The Constitution doesn’t enumerate any governmental power to embargo diverse states of mind. How and when did government usurp this power to coerce conformity? The Puritans came here to escape coerced conformity. Legislators who would limit cognitive liberty lack jurisdiction.
Common-law must hold that adults own their bodies. Socrates said to know your self. Lawmakers should not presume to thwart the intelligent design that molecular keys unlock spiritual doors. Persons who appreciate their own free choice of path in life should tolerate seekers’ self-exploration. The founding fathers undersigned that Americans’ right to the pursuit of happiness is inalienable.
Simple majorities in each house could put repeal of the CSA on the president’s desk. The books have ample law on them without the CSA. The usual caveats remain in effect. You are liable for damages when you screw up. Strong medicine requires prescription. Employees can be fired for poor job performance. No harm, no foul; and no excuse, either. Replace the war on drugs with a frugal, constitutional, science-based drugs policy.

Hello,

I have been to Church of Universal Love and Music many times, and all the good times people have shared there will never be forgotten. People have found their true loves there. People find new and exciting friends there. It was never a matter of doing drugs like everyone in the news says. We did soooo many things there, from personal reflection counseling, what ever you needed to feel or say, we could let it all show there. No one judged you; if anything they took your hand and felt like they where in your shoes just to help you get by. Many of my friends where there the day of the "raid," and to tell you the truth, I grew up with many people that took the church very seriously. We were all family in the end.

The news was soo wrong on some of the things said, like "no children where in harm." That's a lie there were many children separated from their parents and scared to death of the police with big guns... Do u blame them ???? Also they said tons and tons of Marijuana mushrooms etc.... where is it ??? What was shown on the news was only a few glass tobacco pipes which where clean and legal to sell.

I don't know about everyone else, but i know they do no wrong at the church and this will never be the end! We all love the church! If you ask me the war has just begun, we will fight for our beliefs and we believe that the church operation was the most exciting and peaceful place in PA. And I will enjoy the festivals each and every year, I have been enjoying the festivals since I was 15; I'm 21 now, I have have a life of my own, I'm not a horrible person or a drug addict, and I have no criminal record. Just because of the events at the 420 funk fest does not make any person who attends the church a bad influence or a harm to society.

Let the people of the Church live their lives and do what they do best: worship the way they always have. There is no reason to shut us down and punish us for a few "bad seeds" that where at the church. How do you keep 500 people from bringing drugs to a camping trip? No one at the church has the right to search everyone on the ground so how do you get off punishing the church for something that individuals did on their own? On that note, I love everyone involved in the church and I'm fully behind what ever we need to do to make things right. If i can be any help just let me know! Thank you for hearing what i have to say.

>Peace Love Respect<
my heart is with you all
LOVE Chels

This conversation may take your time to read. If you have somewhere to be, please ignore it, for it will only open your mind.
This conversation isn't for the activists, it isn't for the drug addicts, it isn't for anyone really, just a subjective look at what happened on August 1, 2009 at the church of universal love and music, and what I personally think was wrong or right.
All in all, it's my squabble, and if you don't know me, reading this will make you. If you don't know my church, reading this will make you.

(continued on it's own page, this one is LONG) (i took it off until the court date is settled)

All I want to know is...how many weapons were found during the raid? How much heroine? Crack? Really? None, huh? I am behind the church 150%. I love the peacefulness and good people. I've never been somewhere where everyone was so kind. Fayette county really screwed this one up. The county needs to vote these criminals out of office. Period
--Theresa

CULM...Keep up the faith. I have never been fortunate enough to visit the church, but have heard nothing but praise about the kind, family oriented atmosphere that exists there. The recent raid definetly sounds like just one more example of our gov't extorting good individuals and publishing false information for personal gain in their ongoing effort of conservative conformity. If law enforcement wants shut down every concert, festival, or event where some drug activity exists they need to start investigating every venue with every type of music and stop profiling. I have been to many concerts in Burrgettstown, where I have seen people sell drugs, fire up, and even shoot up right in front of security guards and officers, yet there is no DEA investigation there.

On a seperate note I was just at a small grassroots festival in rural PA where two State police officers made an appearance due to some local complaints. The officers came and saw that it was just a group of peaceful people enjoying some good music and left without incident. This situation was handled in a professional manner. Take some notes Fayette County.

Let there be peaceful days ahead !

- Justin

If you have a POSITIVE, non-offensive, message, send it to me at wastingawayingoodolpa@gmail.com